Contents

History

Burlington Municipal Airport c.1940s

On Saturday, August 14, 1920, the first aircraft landed at what became the Burlington Municipal Airport. It had been a 72-acre (29 ha) cornfield. Airport developers took a lease on the land for one year for $100.[citation needed]

On May 22, 1934, at the airport,
Amelia Earhart was presented with the keys to the city of Burlington.[6]

With the onset of the Second World War, the United States government created a Defense Zone extending inland 150 miles (240 km) from the coastline, where private aircraft were restricted from operating. Burlington Municipal Airport was located approximately 3 miles (4.8 km) outside of the Defense Zone, allowing it to conduct pilot training both locally and from other airports located within the restricted zone, one such example being Boston's Logan Airport. Due to increased demand, the Burlington Municipal Airport was noted as being the busiest airport in the world on both August 14, 1942 and February 11, 1943, with 662 and 793 landings respectively.[6]

On February 24, 1969, the Board of Aldermen voted to change the airport's title from "municipal" to "international" as a means of re-branding the airport and steering it away from the perceptions of it being a small, community-based facility.[6]

On May 11, 1971, Burlington voters approved a $1.25 Million bond for a new 40,000-sq/ft terminal. This terminal opened October 7, 1973.[7]

From 2000 to 2008, the airport experienced an increase in growth and service. Since 2000, $24 million in renovations and expansion has been invested at Burlington. In 2008, the airport authority completed a $15 million expansion project which added five gates – four with boarding bridges – and customer service areas, in addition to a 948-space parking garage and an elevated connected walkway.[citation needed]

The airport set a local record in July 2008 when 79,154 passengers flew from Burlington, the first time the figure has crossed 70,000.[8]

BTV enplaned over 759,000 people in 2008, a 7.3% increase from 2007.[9] However, FAA Data from 2015 show a decrease to 581,143 total enplaned, a significant decrease given stronger regional competition due to the increasing popularity of the recently constructed and renovated
Plattsburgh International Airport in Plattsburgh, NY (just over 30 miles, 48 km away via ferry). Total Plattsburgh Enplaned, in fact, for the 2015 Year reached 131,600.
[10] Plattsburgh demand is driven by increased demand from
Montreal, Quebec. At approximately 80 to 85% of total yearly demand, Plattsburgh's airport markets itself as Montreal's US Airport, given it is closer to Montreal's South Shore Residents than Montreal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport, even with a 10 to 15 minute border wait time.[11] Moreover,
Plattsburgh International Airport has bilingual employees on staff, speaking French and English, a website in both languages, as well as an airport with prominent
French and
English signage, similar to that of
Montreal (see Wikipedia for further References -
Plattsburgh International Airport). This is similar to the practices required by Federal Law in
Canada, as per the Canadian Charter.[12]

In 2008,
Big Sky Airlines stopped flying the Boston route. Management has been searching for a replacement for this important route,
Cape Air has shown considerable interest in establishing this route using their
Cessna 402s, currently the closest Boston-served destination by Cape Air to Burlington is the city of
Rutland, Vermont. More recently the Alaska-based airline
Penair has also shown some interest in Boston-Burlington Flights but is currently utilizing the nearby
Plattsburgh International Airport in New York for this route.[13]

The airport has used natural resources such as
marble and
granite, and
maple for interior decoration, intended to give the airport a "Vermont Feel". In 2009, the airport had fifteen gates serving seven airlines.

On February 3, 2010, it was announced that
AirTran Airways would not be returning to Burlington. Service started in early 2009 on
Boeing 717 aircraft operating 55-minute flights from Baltimore, but after only 6 months AirTran demoted BTV to seasonal service, operating only during the summer months. AirTran planned on resuming service in the spring of 2010, but due to various reasons not specified they did not. AirTran service lasted for 8 months in 2009.[14]Allegiant Air ended service from BTV in March 2017.[15]

In 2010, a city-owned cable provider was unable to pay the city of Burlington $17 million it owed. As a result,
Moody's downrated the debt for the city. Moody's also downrated the credit rating for the airport, as well.[16] Although voters approved a $21.5 million bond for airport expansion, this downgrade made borrowing the money too expensive. The airport therefore borrowed $7.5 million from the city for a $14.5 million garage expansion. In June 2011, the city asked for the money back.[17]

The airport was in the process of expanding the parking garage by adding two more levels on the north end. This would have given it a total of 2700 parking spaces. This project was later completed in early 2012. The airport finished renovating the upper concourses bathrooms in late 2013.[citation needed]

BIA Main Entrance sign

Facilities and aircraft

A general aviation ramp at BTV with the passenger terminal and tower in background

Burlington International Airport covers an area of 942 acres (381 ha) at an elevation of 335 feet (102 m) above
mean sea level. It has two
runways: 15/33 is 8,319 by 150 feet (2,536 × 46 m) with an
asphalt and concrete surface; 1/19 is 4,112 by 75 feet (1,253 × 23 m) with an asphalt surface.[1]

There are two
fixed-base operators at the airport. Each offers services such as de-icing, hangars and customs service for international traffic.[18]

As a Burlington-owned facility, the airport purchases its electricity from the
city-owned utility.

In 2009, the Airport Authority sought $45 million for an expansion. If approved by Burlington city voters; it would provide 1,400 additional parking space to add onto the current 3-story, 2,100 spaces garage. It would hold 3,500 cars within 5 stories, with a completion date of late 2010 or early 2011. It was later completed in late 2011 though the airport had to remove half of the proposed parking spaces, leaving the parking lot looking like a backwards L if you look at it from the terminal.[19]

Air cargo service

Both major commercial parcel carriers (
UPS Airlines and
FedEx Express) fly into BTV, providing service for much of northern Vermont. UPS uses
Wiggins Airways to ferry packages between Burlington and larger cargo hubs.

FedEx Express in fact operates the largest aircraft to frequently utilize Burlington International Airport. Cargo is flown in from the company's hub in Newark, New Jersey, via Syracuse or Portland, Maine, aboard medium ranged Boeing
757-200 aircraft (up until 2011 this was done by aging Boeing
727-200s before these aircraft were replaced by the newer, more versatile 757s). Upon arriving from Syracuse or Portland some of the cargo is unloaded from the 757 distributed to smaller, propeller-driven Cessna 208Bs operated by Wiggins Airways and flown to closer destinations such as Portland and other destinations.

UPS flies exclusive connection flights with aircraft from Wiggins Airways to airports in the Northeast with Cessna 208s and small jet aircraft.